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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a suite of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi demands national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas owning collections numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding new gun laws. New South Wales in particular will shortly enact a package of reforms to reduce the public danger from firearms. The national government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Objections

There is the inevitable argument that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Necessity and Safety

There are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are updated to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are as protected as past generations have been.

A commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.